Warriors Pick Up Big Win over Blue Devils

PITTSFIELD, Mass. -- The Wahconah girls' basketball team was looking for a big North Division win to turn its season around. The Warriors got one on Saturday, starting the game off strong against Drury and holding on for a 45-34 win in the Coaches vs. Cancer Showcase. 

June Blake's squad only scored 23 points in a road loss against the Blue Devils (7-3) just two weeks ago, but Wahconah (4-6) nearly matched that total in the first half on Saturday, taking a 21-17 lead into halftime. The game featured several runs by both squads, but the Warriors took control of the game by outscoring Drury 9-4 in the third quarter. 

"We did a poor job taking care of the basketball and that led to far too many empty possessions offensively," Blue Devils head coach John Franzoni said. "Little things win and lose basketball games. Give Wahconah credit because they hit the big shots when they needed to stop our scoring runs and extend their lead. We'll have to show more ball toughness if we want to be successful against good teams."

It was a big victory for the Warriors, who got off to a slow start this season thanks mainly to a tough non-league schedule. Senior guard Gabby Lavinio led the way on offense, scoring 15 points to go along with four rebounds. Sophomore forward Maddie Sprague added 10 points and a game-high 18 boards, while senior center Shannon Lussier chipped in with nine points and eight caroms. 

Drury received 12 points and nine rebounds from senior Shannon Garvey, while classmate Danielle Racette chipped in with 10 points and four assists. 

The Devils are off until Saturday, when they host Monument Mountain at 2:30 p.m. Wahconah plays again on Tuesday with a game at Mount Greylock at 7.